The Bundesliga handball club Thüringer HC suffered its first defeat in the group stage of the European League. The team of Head Coach Herbert Müller lost 22:26 (11:12) at top Romanian club HC Dunarea Braila. With four points, THC still occupies second place in Group A, which would be enough to advance to the quarter-finals. The best scorer for the Bundesliga runners-up was Nathalie Hendrikse with six goals.
From the outset, a fiercely contested duel developed in which the defense dominated. The home side initially made an unusual number of technical errors in attack, but also repeatedly failed to score against the strong THC goalkeeper Dinah Eckerle. Although the visitors also struggled in attack, they deservedly led 6:4 after a quarter of an hour. The previous season's finalists then stepped up their game considerably and built a narrow lead by the break - also because goalkeeper Kira Trusova saved ten THC shots.
In the second half, the favorites needed eight minutes to score their first goal, but then went on a 4:0 run to pull 16:13 ahead in the 41st minute. However, the club from Thuringia did not allow itself to be impressed and kept within touching distance until 20:21 (53'), before its strength waned noticeably. The top scorer in the German league, Johanna Reichert, remained pale this time with just three goals. In the end, Braila prevailed without any danger.
Copyright 2025, dpa (www.dpa.de). All rights reserved
